Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Companies Review

Our Top 5 list of Best Cell Phone Service Providers come from user feedback spreading multiple forums and websites and from personal experience. Nick has been a customer of 4 of the 5 major cell phone service providers (exception being US Cellular) pre- and post-merger of these companies (exception being the Verizon/Alltel merger). Nick is currently a satisfied customer with AT&T Wireless. Why so many? No, it wasn't to eventually create a review, but various reasons came into play - moving to college and service had no reception in that area, service reception just sucked, bad customer service, among many other reasons. Nick has used all 4 of the companies as both his cell and home phone. The areas that Nick has tried these cell phone companies are: California (mainly around San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties), Oregon, Illinois (including Chicago and suburbs), Indiana (in and around Indianapolis, West Lafayette, Bloomington, and South Bend), Minnesota, Georgia (only around Atlanta), and Rhode Island. Nick certainly understands the common complaints and praises. These are our Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Service Companies. Ridicule us, praise us, hate us, love us for our list.

Please note that there will always be exceptions to individual experiences.

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We understand the needs of any one individual or family will differ. This is a quick summary of the costs of the 5 cell phone providers. In terms of the price of individual plans, the individual plan prices at all levels are exactly the same between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and US Cellular (nationwide plan) with the exception being T-Mobile. US Cellular is by far the cheapest if choosing their "widearea" plan, which only caters to the 25-26 states that they cover. In terms of the price of basic family plans, the basic family plan prices at all levels are exactly the same between Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and US Cellular (again nationwide plan only) with the exception being T-Mobile. T-Mobile sells their family minute plans on different "minute" levels than the other 4, but on a per-minute cost, T-Mobile is the cheapest of all nationwide individual and family plans. All other companies are exactly the same in regards to the basic plan, not the plans with added features. The reason why some cell phone service providers are more "expensive" is because of the cost of adding these additional options/features.

5 (4b). Sprint Nextel

Pros:

* Night and weekends start at 7:00 PM, which is 2 hours earlier than the other cell phone service companies

* Free minutes on incoming calls

* 1-year contract as opposed to the standard 2-year contract (you decide if requiring any contract is a pro)

* Strong business-friendly features - 1st mover in walkie-talkie technology - a surprisingly useful function

* Fast internet

Cons:

* No international plans

* Coverage is not as expansive as Verizon Wireless or AT&T, which inevitably means weaker signals, more dropped calls, echoing, etc.

* Limited/outdated phone selection

* Since merger in 2005, plans are not as good a deal as pre-merger

* Post merger, customer service has dropped off as they try to be helpful - the end result should be good news for the customer, not a moot point for customer service

Personal experience: Sprint has always had a limited selection of phones, which to me, really didn't matter. However, as I started relying on my cell phone more and more, I started to care about the looks of my phone (the needs for certain functions remained the same). The phone selection is limited and in many cases seem outdated. From my experience with customer service, Sprint (Nextel) was actually #1 on my list pre-merger in 2005, but it has dropped since then. The customer service pre-merger was excellent - consistent bills from month to month, credits on bogus charges I disputed, and free "loyalty program offers" such as free internet for 6 months. Since the merger in 2005, the customer service still tries to be very helpful, but it gets to the point where you want to start yelling through your phone because of the frustration. Sprint's coverage will be hit or miss if you travel, however, if you're just going to the city for work and going back home to the suburbs, the service will stay consistent for the most part. There is nothing about the cost or the types of plans of Sprint Nextel that really stands out with the exception being international plans. Besides that, the plans offer the usual variety and benefits to meet your need.

4 (4a). US Cellular

Pros:

* Good customer service

* Excellent coverage in the midwest as they should since they are a regional carrier

* Free incoming calls/text messages

* No activation fees on many plans

Cons:

* Poor coverage outside of the 25-26 states that US Cellular covers

* Very limited phone selection; durability of phones offered a concern

* Beware of hidden costs

* Add-ons such as unlimited texting, downloading, etc can add up quickly

* Limited/outdated phone selection

* If downgrading plan, be absolutely sure of your minute usage; they are not helpful in providing advice, but quick to provide recommendations

* If you go over your minutes, get ready to pay big time

The majority of US Cellular's customer base is satisfied by its customer service. The biggest complaint is in the limited selection and durability of the phones. The individual and family nationwide service plans are exactly the same as the others with the exception being T-Mobile. If you live outside of the 25-26 states that US Cellular covers or travel frequently, then choose another cell phone service provider. However, if you live within those states that are covered, US Cellular should be considered as long as you don't mind the phones and/or seemingly unknown brand (outside of the midwest and sports world - White Sox).

3. T-Mobile

Pros:

* Cheapest basic individual and basic family plans out of the 5 cell phone service providers

* myFaves add-on is popular and useful

* 1-year contract as opposed to the standard 2-year contract (you decide if requiring any contract is a pro)

* Lots of different plans and options - most flexible of the 5 cell phone providers and 2nd best offering of plans and options (Verizon is #1 in our opinion)

* Excellent reception in certain populated cities

* Ease of upgrading/downgrading plans - a breeze with great advice and recommendations from customer service, but...

Cons:

* Poor customer service (especially disputes) - worst of the 5 cell phone service providers

* Limited phone selection, tends to sell outdated and even worse, phones that are no longer in production/discontinued

* Inconsistent signal reception/spotty coverage

* Poor insurance policy

* Slow internet

* Pesky about "too much roaming"

Personal experience: I've had a unique love-hate relationship with T-Mobile. The love comes in with the "contract" and the hate comes in with the customer service. I have to start with the "hate" before I go into the "love". After a year and a few months into the service with T-Mobile, like all cell phone providers, I eventually had to call customer service to dispute charges. To put it simply, a complete nightmare. I won't go into the specifics of the dispute, but the way T-Mobile handled the situation from several customer service reps to a couple supervisors was the worst 5-hour nightmare. Yes, I was on the phone for 5 hours getting bounced from department to department, having to explain the dispute over and over again, and had to to take a 1/2 day from work. I started the call at 7:30AM, you do the math. Conclusion of the 5 hour nightmare? I ended up paying the full amount with no leeway given. Even with the energy drinks, steroid shots, power bars, and the like, I couldn't hold up any longer and they would not budge or give anything back that was rightfully owed to me. T-Mobile is great at handling simple customer service requests like upgrading/downgrading a plan or asking simple questions like, do you think I should add the fave-5 plan? They'll actually go through your bills and review your usage and give you great advice and recommendations, but other than that, they have the worst overall customer service of the 5 cell phone service companies when it comes to disputes or anything to do with questioning T-Mobile and their bills. In another instance of "hate", I was experiencing several dropped calls per day and spotty coverage throughout Illinois (specifically Northern suburbs and Chicago). It was extremely frustrating and it got to the point where I called customer service and canceled without hesitation. But Nick, you say, what about the cancellation fee? That's where the "love" comes in, apparently when I signed up for the family plan, we were never obligated to a contract. So all this time, I thought I was under contract and I could've switched at anytime. The reason why T-Mobile barely outranks Sprint Nextel and US Cellular is because of their flexibility and options in their plans, cheapest plan options, better phone selection, although still limited, and more consistent coverage than the last two companies with very good signals in populated areas compared to the two.

2. AT&T

Pros:

* Consistent coverage and reception - closing the gap with Verizon Wireless

* Wide selection of phones - arguably the best selection thanks to the Apple iPhone

* Overall good customer service that helps you and/or resolves issues

* Internet is fast and reliable

* Out of all the phone company mergers, AT&T/Cingular was the biggest improvement

* Rollover minutes is an extremely useful feature/benefit that no other company offers - this is standard on all plans

Cons:

* Dropped calls is hit or miss

* Customer service is absolutely a joy when you are a customer or activating lines/transferring numbers, etc, etc, however, once you become a customer, they are helpful, but they get impatient

* Ever since the merger, extra services/add-ons have increased (compared to just Cingular), which leads to costs piling up quickly

Personal experience: As a current customer of AT&T Wireless, I am satisfied. AT&T Wireless has had the biggest improvements of all the mergers. Their customer service is still lacking compared to Verizon especially once you become a customer, but I have noticed improvements since the merger. Their phone selection is arguably the best. The coverage and reception has been consistent in all the areas I've been to. Although I rarely experience dropped calls, this seems to be a hit or miss issue with others. The one thing that really stands out from the rest of the companies is the rollover minutes. This has saved me lots of money in the long run because a plan I used to have with the other carriers allows me to downgrade due to the extra minutes thus saving me money.

1. Verizon Wireless

Pros:

* Widest variety of plans and options available than any other cell phone company

* Consistent coverage and reception - considered the best, but AT&T is closing the gap

* Wide selection of phones

* Customer service is the most consistent of all the cell phone companies although there are inevitable hit or miss days

Cons:

* Need to keep an eye on your monthly bills - mysterious charges showing up on bills

* Customer service is hit or miss, some days you get great, no, extremely great service, other days you want to reach into your phone and do bad things

* Add-ons can pile up quickly especially the data plans for smartphones

* Most expensive of the 5 cell phone companies (factoring in phones, plans, add-ons, deposit, etc)

* Blocks certain features on your phone, ex: transferring photos to/from your phone requires purchase of software and certain bluetooth features

* If upgrading/downgrading plan, they will extend contract for another 2 years

Personal experience: I have not experienced the "new Verzion" with Alltel, but as much as I hate to admit (being a current and satisfied AT&T customer), Verizon Wireless is the most consistent from customer service to coverage and reception and down to phone selection. One shining customer service moment was when I accidentally dropped my phone in a puddle of water completely ruining my phone. I did not have insurance, as a matter of fact, I never purchase insurance on phones, but after an hour or two of sweet talking, they not only replaced the phone, but rushed the order to me free of charge with next day delivery. An example of a bad customer service is refusing to budge on mysterious charges (over .00) worth that they said would be removed, but never did. I ended up changing services because of this dispute. It took over one year until a collection agency contacted me out-of-the-blue saying I still owed .00 and as one can imagine, my credit score dropped like a ton of bricks.

There you have it, our list of the Top 5 Best Cell Phone Service Companies. We would love to hear your thoughts so feel free to comment on this list. Ridicule us, praise us, hate us, love us for our list. Got topics/categories you'd like topped? Give us a shout through the comments or contact us.

Top 5 - Best Cell Phone Companies Review

You may use parts of this review for your own site or blog as long as you link back to http://www.everythingtopped.com

Nicholas Shin is a Marketing Manager by day, and a review/list creator by night. He focuses on reviews and creating lists by doing research and testing products. He also likes to create lists that are purely for entertainment purposes. As he continues to do hours and hours of research random products and services, he decided to start a website based on his own personal research. The purpose is for the site to become a resourceful solution by providing reliable reviews with the utmost integrity. He finds pleasure in researching and sharing his knowledge with others in hopes that you won't have to spend as much time as he has researching. With that, the site was launched in January of 2009. You can visit the site at http://www.everythingtopped.com

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8 Tips to Make Finishing Your Attic a Breeze

If you are planning to remodel your attic into living space, you probably know already that you are making a financially smart decision. Remodeling or finishing your attic may be the least expensive way to add living space to your home. Remodeling an attic, however, is often not an easy task. Attic spaces present unique remodeling concerns. These eight tips will help you plan for and overcome many of the challenges of remodeling an attic into living space.

1. Plan carefully. Remember that the order in which inspections must be obtained will dictate your schedule. Think through every aspect of both the design and the project, consider possible challenges, and devise plans to overcome each challenge.

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2. Design the space for the type of room. The way you design and remodel the space will vary with the uses you plan for the finished room. For example, a bedroom may have different requirements than a playroom. It is also important to think ahead and consider other uses for the space in the future.

3. Plan access to the new room(s) carefully. Creating access to the new space is challenging in some homes. If you are trying to reduce costs for your project, you will want to find and construct the stairs in the best point of access and in a way that involves the least modification of the existing structure. You will also need to check local building codes with reference to exit points. For an instant estimate of the cost to finish your attic try this online calculator.

4. Decide how you will work with the slope of the roof. This is an important aspect of planning, and it will affect your cost and the appearance and functionality of the new room. Do you want a pitched or a cathedral ceiling? How will you construct it? How will you install adequate insulation?

5. Design the room in a way that allows you to use the "dead space" near the lowest point of the pitch of the roof. Consider that these areas can be made into outstanding storage areas with a little advance planning.

6. Remember that ventilation and insulation are critical in an attic. Remember that heat rises. Attics can become very warm. You will need to plan for adequate ventilation and insulation to keep the room comfortable without drastically increasing your heating and cooling costs.

7. Plan for wiring and plumbing needs well in advance of beginning work. Electrical wiring and plumbing can present unique challenges in attics. You will need to ensure that the flooring does not rest on any wires. A bathroom will cost least if placed in close proximity to another existing supply and drain line.

8. Consider how and when you will get materials into the space. Consider carefully the size and weight of materials needed for your remodeling project. Plan for how and when you will get large items, like drywall or a toilet, up the stairs and into their permanent position. If you close in the stairs too soon, you could have a problem.

If you are planning to finish or remodel your attic into living space, careful planning and attention to the unique challenges presented by the space will be essential. You can expect to gain valuable living space as well as some increase in the value of your home.

The unique challenges and concerns of attic Remodeling are not to be taken lightly. If you plan to do the project yourself, I suggest the use of an Attic Remodeling Workbook available at http://www.amazon.com. It will help you plan the project in a way that will make the work go smoother and faster.

Copyright 2008 by ABCD Publishing

8 Tips to Make Finishing Your Attic a Breeze

Dan Fritschen, the remodel-or-move guru is President and Publisher at ABCD Publishing and operates three very popular websites -- http://www.remodelormove.com, which helps homeowners make this important decision on the basis of knowledge and reliable cost estimates, and http://www.remodelestimates.com, which offers a variety of articles on various aspects of remodeling and remodeling cost estimate calculators, as well as referrals to great contractors throughout the nation, and http://www.remodelingorganizer.com He is the author of three books on home remodeling.

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How to Create a Built-In Shoe Closet

If you are leaving your shoes in the bottom of your shoe closet, or often missing half of your shoe pair, it might be time to create a built-in shoe closet. Make any size you desire, and place it wherever you like in of your closet.

Step #1

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Think about the storage cubbies and Kindergarten classrooms that were accessible for children to place their things in. These storages are ideal for keeping shoes separately, and you could make them easily.

Step #2

Count the shoes you want to store in the shoe closet. You could make every rack hold two to six pairs of shoes, and create as many racks as you want. If you own more shoes, you could make another shoe rack and put it to your closet with the other shoes.

Step #3

Begin with the pairs of shoes that you like to store in every rack and multiply by nine inches, because every cubby should be nine inches wide. Add 3/4 inch for the end wood boards and for every partition board between shoes. For example, if you wish to put five pairs of shoes, multiply 9x5 is equals to 45 inches. You'd have 2 ends and 4 partitions, so multiply 3/4 by six is equals to 4.5 inches. Add the 2 totals together is 49 1/2 inches.

Step #4

Gather all the materials you need. For instance, you need 2 wooden boards 12 in wide and 49½ in long for the bottom and top of the rack. You'll also need six boards that are 12x6 inches for the partitions and sides. All of these wooden boards must be 3/4 inches thick.

Step #5

Bring your shoe rack together to form a rectangular shape that is 49½ x 10½ in and it'll contain five shoe cubbies. Place the pieces by putting 11/2 in wood screws down to the top wood board and up to the bottom wood board to attach the partitions and sides.

Step #6

Put the shoe rack on a piece of plywood, and draw it. Reduce the plywood that you want to make the back part of the shoe rack. Put this with 11/2 inch screws to the partitions and edges of the shoe rack. Paint the shoe rack if you want and let it dry.

Step #7

Put your shoe rack to your closet. You could just put it on the floor, if you want. On the other hand, you could place it to the wall by attaching through the plywood back to studs with 2 inches drywall screws. If you want more space for some more pairs of your shoes, make another shoe rack and put below or on top, placing it to the wall.

How to Create a Built-In Shoe Closet

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How The High Gas Prices Affect Tourism

With gas hovering around .25 a gallon. With prices going up this early in the year, some are concerned those prices could affect summer tourism. Tourism Centers hasn't seen a drop in tourism or conventions because of high fuel prices yet. Tourism affects quality of life and affects the amount of property taxes the local residents end up paying. Business in tourist area feel the pinch when people reduce their travel budget because of high gas prices.

The gas prices continue to sufficiently increase, people will change their behavior. These increases in expenditures mean people spend less on other goods and services, it's not likely they'll be buying big screen TV or going out to a fancy dinner.

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Traveler say that they will stay closer to home and do less sight seeing while in the vacation area to cut expenses. some say they are planning on staying shorter period because hotel expenses are also up.

Gas prices are definitely a big concern, tourism is not showing any sign of growth over the past couple months, before the gas prices started to go up, it had not been any steady growth. From the report I've read some of the statistics showing some decreases in their hospitality industry business, summer is the season. When the increases in the number of visitors entering, at this point normally rate would be up. Local Hospitality are hopeful, that tourist taking shorter trips will soften the impacted on there economy.

Gas prices are creeping up to the mark, which will probably affect the summer tourism season, hotel depend on business from business and tourist travelers, That might be a problem as gas prices continue to climb and cause people to change there travel plans.

There's a point where gas prices reach and increase to where families can not cope with it any longer, where recreational traveling starts to be affected, you just don't have away to gauge when that point will be reached. As a tourist seeing that the gas prices increased $.66 in one week. It may be a good time to start planning your trip. According to the latest report that President Bush release he does not see that the oil that OPEC has agreed to release will have any effect on price reduction to help relieve any of the pain at the pump.

How The High Gas Prices Affect Tourism

Gas prices may be high, but road travel remains the most popular mode of Leisure travel. Hospitality businesses in all area say there are a large numbers of vacationers are on the move, despite fuel prices that top a gallon. While vacationers aren't pinching pennies, they do care some about their expenses. The cost of gas doesn't stop tourists, It's just something that you have to pay for, like groceries or whatever. So let Rendezvous, on Route 66. See you on the road.

You enjoyed the article drop by the blog we have great travel tips to make the most out of this:[http://2brio-wolfen.blogspot.com]

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Full Half and Quarter Sleeve Tattoo Designs A Complete Guide

Wondering what the heck a sleeve tattoo is? Well they are one of the most popular of all tattoos and they look great. Very basically a sleeve tattoo is any tattoo design that covers up the majority of the skin in a certain area. For example a full arm would be a full sleeve tattoo. These are becoming increasingly popular as the overall trend for tattoos rises and people discover more and more about body art. They can be a wonderful tattoo design if you have carefully thought about what you want to get and the artist you are going to work with. Here is some more advice about getting sleeved.

What Is A Sleeve Tattoo?

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Some of you might be wondering where did they get their name and how it is different from regular tattoos? Typically sleeve tattoos are done on arms can also be done on the legs. They are any type of tattoo that fully covers this can so that little to no skin is showing through the tattoo. They're often called sleeve tattoos because they look very some similar to wearing a long sleeved shirt. Fact, you have probably seen fake or sleeves being sold on eBay and these are just the sleeves of a shirt with an intricate tattoo design.

Popular Designs And Ideas

Of course if you're getting a sleeve that to an article at the time that you want it by all means go with that design. However, if you are still contemplating what you want to include in your design are the exact details of your design are some of the more popular ideas that people use with getting sleeve tattoos.

1. Traditional Japanese Designs - another very popular theme for sleeve tattoos are traditional Japanese designs. The Japanese have a long history of tattooing and theme of the designs of koi fish, samurai, and cherry blossoms can often be interwoven beautifuly.

2. Floral Patterns - there are many different floral patterns and can easily be adapted or tweaked into a tattoo. These are typically more delicate feminine nature but don't necessarily have to be.

3. Celtic Designs - Celtic knotwork often lends itself to tattoo designs. The intricate nature of the interwoven knotwork could make a beautiful design. Since there is so much space or canvas available on your arms often one can include knotwork animals and even calligraphy into an overall Celtic design.

4. Tribal - These take large tribal tattoo designs and spread them out over the large canvas. These are often very popular ideas for guys as the bold strong black lines of a tribal design can look pretty cool. You are thinking about getting tribal design then you want to carefully consider the culture and the style you want. Many of the native cultures have very developed tattoo designs that have been carried over into modern tattoo art. For example, you can get a Maroi Tattoo or possibly a Hawaiian tattoo.

Time, Cost and Commitment

sleeve tattoos are typically very large and intricate designs which can take a long time to complete. Therefore they compete more expensive and require a great deal of commitment. So you might be wondering how much will sleeve tattoo design costs? This could depend on a variety of different factors such as the popularity of the tattoo designer, the type of design that you want, and if you decide to get a custom tattoo versus standard flash. All prices can range greatly and there is no set amount typically full sleeve tattoos can run between 0-00.

Typically ssleeves are done over multiple sessions lasting about an hour each. Most full sleeve to designs can be done with about 20 sessions over 20 hours of total work. Depending on the availability of your tattoo artist as might be scheduled at one session per week so a full sleeve tattoo could take easily over 20 weeks.

You are considering getting a full sleeve tattoo you want to carefully consider the design in the tattoo artist. Spent some time before hand considered both these factors could play major role in your overall experience of getting a full sleeve tattoo. Try to find an artist does want to work with you and listen to your ideas and a design that you are happy with.

Full Half and Quarter Sleeve Tattoo Designs A Complete Guide

Interested in finding more great free information on Sleeve Tattoo Designs and Ideas,? You might also be interested in other Tattoo Design ideas, galleries and more check out My Custom Tattoos: Tattoo Designs, Ideas and Galleries [http://www.mycustomtattoo.com/blog/].

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Pros and Cons of Purchasing Short Sales and Bank Owned Property in Metro Phoenix

Should I Consider Buying a Short Sale or Bank-Owned Property?!?

By now you have probably heard and read about the distressed real estate market down here in Arizona. As a result of the mortgage meltdown of 2005-06 and rampant speculation that caused the meteoric rise in housing values, it was only a matter of when would the housing market correct and return to some semblance of normality.

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It happened rather suddenly during 2006 and had been in a downward spiral ever since. As a result of this housing value correction, there is presently an abundance of opportunities to purchase distressed and devalued real estate assets near the bottom of the market in Metropolitan Phoenix.

BUT BEWARE! All is not as it appears...

Before we get into it, let's discuss what is a short-sale vs. bank-owned property.

SHORT SALE - A short sale is a property in which the owner is delinquent in paying their mortgage payments. It has not yet been foreclosed on by the bank, but it may be IN THE PROCESS of being foreclosed on. In this situation, the owner, many times through an agent (their real estate agent) will negotiate a stay of execution on the foreclosure and allow the owner to attempt to sell the property for a price that is typically BELOW the total mortgage amount on the property. The bank is basically agreeing to take a loss on their loan amount in the hopes of avoiding a foreclosure proceeding and having to take physical ownership of the property.

BANK-OWNED OR REO (real estate owned) - In this case, the bank has gone through the complete foreclosure process and actually taken title to the property and evicted the previous owner in order to sell the property.

So now that you have a clearer understanding on what these are,

Here are the pros and cons to purchasing short sales and bank-owned (REO) properties in Phoenix. This is what you need to know to decide whether this type of property purchase is for you.

PROS

There is one big pro - you are typically going to get a property below even current market value. Could be up to 10+% below current market value so there is the potential to get a great deal. Unfortunately, in this world you never get something for nothing. There are drawbacks for this 'smoking' deal

CONS

Short Sale (1) While you are still dealing with the delinquent property owner, the contract will have to be approved and signed off on by the bank taking the loss. In some cases, the bank does not even know that a short sale is being attempted until they receive an offer. This means that the wait time when submitting an offer on a short sale could stretch from days to weeks to even MONTHS to get a reply. Not only that, but until the bank has accepted/counter the offer, the listing agent will leave the home showing as ACTIVE on the market and in the MLS soliciting other offers and will submit all received offers to the bank for approval. The bank can only pick one, of course. So you could be waiting for months and then get turned down and hear that the bank accepted an offer submitted weeks or months after your offer. This can be very frustrating, to say the least! (2) Because of how the bank processes offers and the aggressive pricing of these properties, it is not uncommon for well-priced short sales to sell for the full list price OR MORE due to a bidding war between suitors. (3) Banks want to avoid liability and will demand that the buyer submit offers with an AS-IS addendum basically stating that the buyer assumes all risk associated with the condition of the property from the time of the offer acceptance. Buyers will have the right to inspect the property, but if you miss something, the buyer - not seller - is responsible. This is one of the reasons these properties are discounted - to factor in the buyer's risk.

REOs (1) AS-IS addendum. Same as above but even scarier. Once the bank has taken over, many times they shut off the utilities to reduce their costs. This makes it much harder to inspect the property properly - HVAC, electrical, plumbing systems. (2) Remember, in this scenario, the bank has forcefully taken ownership and possession of the home before attempting to sell it. This means that the defaulting party was probably very upset prior to leaving the home. It is becoming more common to hear stories of how angry homeowners damaged/destroyed property in the home, removed appliances, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, light fixtures/ceiling fans and/or other home fixtures. I have even seen property with significant water damage, drywall damage and heard of stories of people throwing cement into the drains to cause future owners headaches. It is VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THROUGH INSPECTIONS OF THESE TYPES OF HOMES. (3) Banks can take long periods of time to respond to offers, although response times are typically quicker than on short sales because the bank has already done the legwork up front to determine value and what they would be willing to accept.

As a result of these issues, Bank Owned and short sales should only be considered by buyers that:

(1) Aren't as concerned about finding the 'one' perfect home and are not the type of people to get attached to a home they absolutely have to have. (2) Prepared to take on the risks associated with buying distressed properties for the reward of getting a below-market-value property (3) prepared to get their hands dirty in making repairs and organizing the cleaning and trades to come in and refurbish damaged properties (4) Are not concerned with long waits in getting replies from banks on properties they have submitted offers on.

THESE TYPES OF PROPERTIES ARE BEST SUITED FOR INVESTORS BUYING FOR VALUE RATHER THAN HOMEOWNERS BUYING FOR THEIR OWN USE.

An investor can form the strategy of putting in multiple offers on properties, not really caring which one(s) are accepted so long as they are getting that property for a great value in line with their investment objectives. Once they have an accepted contract, they can rescind their other open offers.

SO HOW DO I DETERMINE WHETHER A LISTING I AM LOOKING AT IS A SHORT SALE OR BANK OWNED?!?

Good Question.

Here's the short answer. Work with a professional and knowledgeable local-area Realtor.

Why? In most cases, Listings do not openly disclose to the general public whether a property is distressed or not. A Listing agent must make this disclosure to other agents and specifically, Buyer's Agents as it materially affects the buyer's decision to purchase the property and for how much. Your representative can very quickly inform you whether a property you are interested in is distressed or not and through a couple of phone calls can find out the status of the home (whether there are already submitted offers on the property awaiting acceptance).

ARE DISTRESSED PROPERTIES COMMON IN SOME AREAS OF METRO PHOENIX MORE THAN OTHERS?!?

Absolutely. Some areas have been harder hit in this latest housing crisis. The hardest hit areas, in general, tend to lie farther away from the Metro Phoenix core where many new homes were purchased by speculators. With the speculators now in hot water and the cost of gas going through the roof, the outer rim areas are not as attractive as they used to be. Some areas like Surprise, Queen Creek, Anthem, Maricopa and Buckeye have a disproportionately high number of distressed properties to total listings. That is why some areas are seeing sharper drops in values than others. Keep this in mind when considering outer, fringe parts of the Valley.

The information contained herein represent the OPINIONS of the author and should not be relied upon in the purchase of real estate. Buyer should conduct their own investigations and satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of this information prior to making any decisions to purchase real estate.

Pros and Cons of Purchasing Short Sales and Bank Owned Property in Metro Phoenix

Ron Cuttler is a real estate Buyer's Agent in the greater Phoenix Metro area specializing in relocation, investment & developer services. Mr. Cuttler has been selling real estate for over 18 years, 13 of which have been in the Phoenix Metro area. You may contact Mr. Cuttler via phone at 602-418-8800 or through his website: http://www.CanadiansBuyArizona.com

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Simple Steps to Drywall Texturing Made Easy

In today's tight real estate market, those who do choose to put their houses on the market are certainly looking for any available advantage in the tight competition they are sure to face. Finding low-cost techniques that add charm and character is one great way to accomplish this goal. The good news is that you don't have to invest a lot into a simple fix to make your home stand out. One technique you can do yourself is drywall texturing. You can follow some simple steps and find Drywall Texturing Made Easy.

First, be sure to allot a good amount of time for the project. You don't want to rush through this artistic process. Also remember that the room will need to be painted when you are finished. To get started, the first step is to remove outlet and light fixture plates from the walls. Cover the floor, since even Drywall Texturing Made Easy can get messy. (Also, at this point, be sure to remove any wallpaper. It will not provide an adequate base for the joint compound that you will use, and will end up becoming a time-consuming mess to fix. This is not what you want a potential buyer to see in your home!)

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The first step in Drywall Texturing Made Easy is to spread a thin coat of drywall compound around the walls where you want to start with an 8-12 inch straight trowel. A thickness of about 1/8 of an inch is ideal, but for a more varied texture, spread thicker. Start with just a small area; you don't want to compound to dry before you complete the texturing portion of the application. It's better to under estimate the time involved than to over estimate at this step.

After you've spread the compound, you can make any kind of texture you want. Experiment a little bit until you find something you like. Ideas include using old paintbrushes, wallpaper brushes, sponges, or even your fingers and hands. Go ahead and have some fun at this point, but remember that less is usually more when the texture is covering an entire room. Be sure to wear latex gloves if you are using your fingers or hands. It might not be a bad idea to wear them anyway. After you've finished a small portion, simply continue to work your way around the room, alternating between applying the compound and texturing it.

Simple Steps to Drywall Texturing Made Easy

Jason Whitney writes about drywall texturing at http://www.drywalltexturepro.com/

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